


fermenting feelings

by reciprobursts



Series: gilear week ! [2]
Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Emotional Baggage, Gen, Secrets, yogurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22650658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reciprobursts/pseuds/reciprobursts
Summary: "What," He pauses, trying to find the words. "What exactly are you doing here?""Making stress yogurt,""Stress yogurt."(Kristen is stressed, Gilear likes yogurt. It works out.)
Relationships: Gilear Faeth & Kristen Applebees
Series: gilear week ! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628254
Comments: 11
Kudos: 57





	fermenting feelings

**Author's Note:**

> for gilear week day two: free day!! (yogurt)
> 
> this is pandering towards myself specifically....anyways this should take place during canon events? i have no idea how please don't ask me about it

Someone hipchecks the door of Gilear's hotel room open, effectively startling him out of bed and onto the ground. He untangles himself from his sheets and looks up from the floor to see a rather rumpled Kristen wasting no time in stepping in and kicking the door closed.

"Hey Gilear, are you stressed out? So am I. Let's make some yogurt."

Gilear just watches as Kristen strolls into his room, dumping an armful of stuff onto the counter in the kitchen. She places a pot onto the stove and cranks up the heat, then looks at him expectantly, unbothered that he's currently on the floor beside his bed.

"What," He pauses, trying to find the words. "What _exactly_ are you doing here?"

"Making stress yogurt,"

"Stress yogurt."

"Yeah!" Kristen beckons him over. "Now measure four cups of milk for me and put it in this pot."

Gilear is used to taking orders from teenagers, and thankfully this is a more simple one. If only chain store coffee could be as easy as 'four cups of milk'. He stands up, dutifully comes to the kitchen and does as he's told, and Kristen begins stirring to prevent a skin forming over the dairy. Gilear notices that she's gripping the spoon quite hard and looks almost frazzled, like there's something ulterior to her actions.

Well, of course there is. They wouldn't be making stress yogurt if one of them weren't stressed. 

"Can you fill a large bowl halfway with water and ice?" Kristen asks through gritted teeth.

He does, and as he sets the ice bath down beside the stove, Gilear has a short debate with himself on whether he should speak up or let it play out. On one hand, Kristen could bring it up naturally, but on the other hand, he knows all these kids are _so_ emotionally repressed it hurts and probably won't confess to anything without a little bit of prompting. He cringes inwardly before taking a shot.

"What _are_ you stressed about?" He asks, as gently as possible.

It doesn't help as the wooden spoon in Kristen's hand audibly cracks. Too much prompting.

"You do not have to tell me," Gilear adds on quickly, growing more nervous by the second. "This can just be yogurt. No finicky emotional baggage needed."

Kristen sighs and slows her stirring. She stares into the white spiral like it would give her the answers she wanted. She stands over the pot for a while as it starts simmering.

"...Kristen?"

The cleric jumps a little and blurts out, " _Sandralynn slept with Garthy and I don't know if it's my place to tell Tracker or not!_ "

Oh, (Gilear wracks his brain for a god to throw expletives at, but he settles on the person he's worshipping right now) Hallariel, he's in it now.

His mouth feels full like his tongue isn't meant to be there as he manages, "I thought she and Jawbone were polyamorous?"

"He agreed to be monogamous with Sandralynn!" Kristen wails, flinging herself onto the counter, head on her arms.

Gilear repositions her ponytail so that it's not in immediate danger of catching aflame, but he stands there awkwardly for a moment, completely at a loss for...anything to do, really. He lets all of her words sink in, like a thick glob of yogurt on denim. It's a lot of information, probably that of which he should not be privy to, and it makes his head spin. The thing that prevails most is that he finds himself...disappointed in Sandralynn. It's strange to be the outsider in this situation, but there's a tug at his heart. Even after all this time, her compulsions get the best of her. There's something to say to that, and there's a line of people for his ex-wife to confront before she tells Tracker, but that's a conversation that shouldn't be had right now, at this moment.

"Does she know that you know she slept with them?" Gilear finally asks.

Kristen lifts her head, and it's only now that he sees how tired and worn out she looks. It makes him think of how these kids should just be having _fun_ on their break, and not dealing with the complications of adult relationships and being tasked with saving the world. Again. 

She nods. "Me and Riz went to the Golden Gardens earlier." She flushes a little at that, looking embarassed. Gilear doesn't press on it.

"Is this something urgent? That you would like Tracker to know?" Gilear's vaguely aware that he sounds like a counselor (the perks of being co-workers with Jawbone), but he hopes it brings a little more calmness and sense.

"I dunno," Kristen frowns. "Half of me wants to tell her now, but who am I to say anything about it? I'm just her girlfriend, I don't have anything to do with her family."

"You are not _just_ anything," Gilear says, mouth on autopilot. Kristen looks at him, surprised at the uplifting words. Gilear's mind struggles to catch up. "I'm sure that they consider you family as well. You are an instrumental part of their lives, as you are with theirs."

He pauses, searching for what to say. "Being in a relationship...it is important to be honest with your actions and words. If it feels like you are hiding something, it might be best to tell the other person soon."

When he glances towards Kristen, he blinks at her saddened expression. It's not from her own situation, but rather, pity. For Gilear. Was he projecting his own emotions that much?

Kristen is quick to wipe at her eyes and manages a smile. "Thanks. I'll probably talk to her tomorrow."

Gilear nods, trying his best to showcase his approval. He looks at the pot. "Also, the milk is boiling,"

"Fuck!" Kristen curses, taking the milk off the heat and letting it cool in the ice bath Gilear had prepared. She's more relaxed with her motions now, and carefully monitors the temperature of the milk as she skims off the film that she let form.

She turns to him and offers the milk film. He takes it and eats it happily. "You have yogurt, right?"

He fishes a warm, unopened cup out of his pocket. He is used to the mild disgust on Kristen's face when she takes it from him.

"Basically, you use yogurt to make yogurt. The cultures in this are going to multiply and grow and make all of this into some nice, globby dairy." She takes a smaller bowl to pour some of the warm milk in, and mixes it with a couple of spoonfuls of Gilear's yogurt. She then adds that into the rest of the milk and stirs to combine.

"Will you preheat the oven to 100 degrees?" She asks.

Gilear is especially thankful that he's tasked with such easy instructions, yet still feels like a helpful presence. He thinks Kristen is more kind and thoughtful than she gives herself credit for. He sort of wants to ask where she learned to make yogurt, but knows that will probably strike a sour chord. Family can be tough.

As the oven beeps, Kristen takes their mixture (now in an heat-safe container), and places it inside.

"We have to wait a couple hours for it to incubate, then a little more to let it cool, but we made ourselves some yogurt!" Kristen grins and Gilear can't help but mirror her expression.

He tentatively holds a hand up for a high five and her eyes light up, going for it. Gilear sees the amount of force she's about to put in it and braces for impact. Seeing this, mid-way through, Kristen pauses suddenly, retracting her hand to think, then gives Gilear's hand a soft tap. He smiles gratefully.

"You should go to bed, Kristen." Gilear says.

As if on cue, she yawns. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back in the morning to transfer it into the fridge." She looks a little sheepish. "Thanks for dealing with me."

There's a line to be said about how it isn't dealing when he's genuinely okay with helping her out, but Gilear shakes his head and leads her to his door.

Before she leaves, Kristen takes one last look at him. "You're a good person, Gilear. I hope you remember that."

He smiles his best placating dad smile, though he's elated by her words. "Thank you. You are admirable as well."

Gilear reaches up and ruffles her hair a little, an action he hasn't done in a very long time. "Good night, Kristen."

She smiles in a way where her eyes crinkle up into crecents, and she makes her way down to the room she's sharing with her friends. Gilear watches her slip in through her door and stays there for a moment, before stepping back into his room and closing his own for the night.

**Author's Note:**

> kristen most definitely forgets about the yogurt in the morning and now there's just a hot mess of dairy in that oven but that's okay. what happens in leviathan stays in leviathan.


End file.
